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Theon VI Greyjoy
Theon is the current head of House Greyjoy and Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands. He is the eldest son of his father Torywyn Greyjoy and his wife Lady Lynesse Greyjoy née Volmark. He has served as Lord Paramount almost thirty years, serving briefly under his father as Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet prior to that. Titles Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands As the eldest male son of his father, Theon inherited the title of Lord Paramount. He is the Crown's sanctioned overseer of the Kingdom of the Iron Isles, declaring fealty to the King on the Iron Throne. He has supreme authority of the Iron Islands men and ships, and can draw forth the small folk into levy troops in times of war. Lord Reaper of Pyke Pyke is one of the three largest isles of the Iron Islands, after Great Wyk and Harlaw respectively. However Pyke is neither the richest or the most densely populated isle. It is however the ancestral home of House Greyjoy, and home to the mysterious castle of Pyke, and ancient fortress whose creators are long forgotten. The Lord of Pyke claims the title of Lord Reaper, a term used since Urron "Redhand" reduced the petty kings of the isles to mere lords. The title has been passed down the Greyjoy line from father to son for thousands of years. Son of the Sea Wind This is a purely hereditary title Greyjoys style upon themselves. It holds no practical powers or purpose but instead hearkens back to their title of King of the Sea Winds from when the Iron Isles were ruled by thirteen petty kings. He Who Sits the Seastone Chair A formal title granted to the Lord Paramount by a council of the Drowned Priests. This title is merely a religious formality, since the man who sits the Seastone Chair holds the title Lord Paramount, not the ancient title of Iron King or Driftwood King. As such though he must still be formally recognized by the Drowned Faith, who will withhold the title until they are appeased by its rightful holder. Appearance & Character Theon Greyjoy is a powerfully built man, and possesses great physical strength. He stands several inches over six feet tall with broad shoulders, thick muscled arms and a barrel chest. Despite his age he remains strong, and hardy, seemingly unfazed by the slow decay of time. A testament to his hardy lifestyle as an Ironborn and diligent training regiment to be sure. He is not without sign of age though, and his face is marred by wrinkles and scars from his harsh lifestyle, in addition his hands are covered in thick calluses from decades of sailing and combat. Theon's hair was a dark black when he was young, a common hair color among Greyjoy members. With time however it has lost some of its color, now flecked by strands of grey in places. His hair is kept trimmed short to remain comfortable beneath a helmet, but his beard has grown long and thick. Theon has a sharp face with a strong brow, and a beak-like nose. His most noticeable feature is his piercing blue eyes that shine brightly in contrast to the rest of his visage. Personality Like many of his forefathers, Theon is extremely proud of his Ironborn heritage and his ancestral roots. His family claims lineage to the Grey King, a legendary Ironborn from the age of heroes. Theon takes great personal pride in his house and their legacy, despite the failures of some of his ancestors. He is a staunch traditionalist publicly, but the truth of the matter his he remains flexible to sensible options or alternative paths besides the Old Way. Theon was Drowned as an adolescent and was raised on the teachings of the Drowned Men, but remains a private skeptic of the power of the Gods. He does however see power in magic, and through his wife he has gained interest in the practices of Warlocks. He keeps this behind closed doors and lacks the devotion of his wife and son. The elder Greyjoy is normally reserved but severe, but is however prone to fits of great anger. His rage is calm but terrible to behold, like an approaching storm, and few are spared from his wrath should they deserve it. He is inherently distrustful of most mainlanders, whom Ironborn refer to as "Greenlanders". He sees those of Andal blood as weak and complacent, quick to bend their knees to those above them. Theon does however hold some respect for the North, particularly the Starks, who have ruled for thousands of years and maintain their rugged lifestyle unlike the Southron kingdoms. Armor & Weapons Theon adorns himself in his house heraldry and colors, with most of his clothing styled in gold and black, bearing the Kraken sigil. In battle he wears a suit of full plate mail, regardless of whether he is at land or sea. His logic is simple, the risk of dying from a sword or a bow is high in battle, the risk of being knocked from the ship and drowning is not. Theon's armor is painted black as night, lined with golden trim. Two golden krakens cling to his pauldrons and a third emblazons his chest. His helmet is shaped in the visage of a kraken, like the helmet's of many of his forefathers. It's six main arms wrapped around his head forming the guard and visor with its two longest tentacles arched outward like great horns. Beneath his armor is a set of fine woven Lysene chainmail he claimed from a slain pirate captain. Completing the ensemble is a black longcloak decorated in gold with the Greyjoy sigil, a favored article of clothing for the Lord Reaper, and a gift from his mother when he reached manhood. Some Ironborn believe his armor frivolous and arrogant, but Theon maintains it was purchased with gold claimed from reaving, making it fall in line with the Iron Price. Theon Greyjoy fights with an assortment of weapons, as most Ironborn do. He is proficient enough with a bow though by no means a talented marksman, much preferring the throwing ax at medium distance. In his youth he fought with hand ax and shield, as most reavers do, but has adopted the use of a large greatsword since claimed on a raid. However he still carries several hand axes at his side in battle as back up weapons. Theon's blade is a large greatsword, near five feet in length. It is made of steel forged from Qohor, said to be home of the finest smiths. The blade is inscribed with a leviathan running its length on either face, an homage to Theon's mother and her house Volmark. The pommel and hilt resemble a black kraken grasping the blade in its arms. The weapon is less than ideal within the cramped interior of a ship, where it is instead sheathed for hand axes, but is ideal on the open deck where its reach keeps foes at a distance. History Theon was born to his father Torwyn and mother Lynesse in 399AC, their firstborn son. He had a younger brother Rodrik Greyjoy but he was presumed killed when his ship was lost at sea. As firstborn son and heir Theon was raised by his father in all things Ironborn. By the age he could walk he was accompanying his father on his ship, learning how to properly fight and sail by the age of eight. At fourteen he was Drowned on the shores of Pyke by his great-uncle Yoren "Crabsbane", a Drowned Man. He served the next four years on various vessels, rising to the station of First Mate on the great carrack Storm's Fury. At age twenty Theon was a captain in his own right, commanding his own longship and directly owning another two. During this time Theon proved himself a lustful young man. He bedded many lovers and slept in the brothels and whore houses in many of the Free Cities. His most infamous sexual conquest however remained the taking of Elaena Targaryen's maidenhood on her own wedding day. Not wanting to risk her health with Moon Tea, the King forced her to carry the child to term. She named the child Daemon, and he took the bastard name "Pyke" from his father. Theon arrived at the King's Court to claim the child shortly after his birth, taking it with him back to Pyke. There the child was to be raised as an Ironborn far away from House Targaryen. At twenty two his father promoted him to Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, following the death of the previous captain in battle. Theon spent the next two years waging war on the Basilisk Isles, who had grown bold under their self proclaimed Basilisk King, an exiled Summer Islander prince and accomplished pirate. The pirate fleet was crushed in a decisive battle off the coast of the Isle of Talon, and in the aftermath Theon ordered the sack of the pirate slave markets of Barter Beach and Hammerhead Bay, winning the Ironborn much plunder and many slaves to sell. While at port in Volantis selling their goods and slaves and resupplying for the long voyage home Theon met Allira Xath, a Quartheen noblewoman. He was enthralled by her beauty and wit, and offered her a place at his side at court. Allira agreed, and traveled with him as a mistress on his way back to Pyke. Upon his return Theon learned his father had succumb to pneumonia, with his mother ruling in his name at court. Theon immediately stepped in as regent and ruled in his father's place while his mother tended to her ailing husband in his last months. Winter's arrival claimed Torwyn Greyjoy, and his grief stricken wife threw herself from the towers of Pyke the following day. There was little time to mourn, as Theon was formally appointed Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands by the Drowned Men. During this time Allira proved his constant companion and their love only grew. A year into a half into his reign Theon wed her, taking her as his Rock Wife, causing much resentment in his bannermen. The young couple took to raising Theon's acknowledged bastard, Daemon Pyke, during this time, raising him as their own son. Theon's firstborn son and heir Dagon Greyjoy was born several years later and was followed by several other children, though only his sister Sarella lived to adulthood. Rule under Theon IV Theon's rule has largely been uneventful. He proved himself as a warrior and a true Ironborn years before he took the Seastone Chair, and won the respect of many of his vassals for his campaign in the Basilisk Isles. But there are those who still look at him with disdain for marrying a foreigner, especially one who openly studies the arcane. Theon is religiously tolerant as far as Ironborn leaders go, honoring the Crown's laws permitting Septons and Maesters on his islands. He sees them as largely harmless Greenlanders whose craven tendencies and lack of any real power prevent them from bothering him. He still honors and reveres the Drowned God, adhering to Ironborn religious tradition. Privately he remains skeptical of the Drowned God's powers, but accepts it as a necessary aspect of ruling and embraces it as part of his heritage. Diplomatically Theon is harsh and shrewd, but largely just in his rulings. Criminals are punished relative to their crimes, and any man accused is given the option of serving at the Wall instead of facing trial, and potential execution. Theon remains largely absent from the greater politics of the realm, ignoring Tournaments, wedding ceremonies, and other formal gatherings, though in truth he is invited to few to begin with. As Lord Paramount Theon adhered to the Iron Pact while under the rule of King Aerys III Targaryen, unwilling to provoke crown intervention. Instead his raiders efforts were directed chiefly at the Free Cities of Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr as they continued their endless squabble over the Disrupted Lands, forces spread too thin to protect their merchant fleets. In recent years though the Free Cities have forged an uneasy truce, turning their attention instead on the threat of piracy and protecting their own waters. This has forced Theon to concentrate his efforts further south, striking at the Summer and Basilisk Isles respectively. However, the last year's harvest proved meager and the seas less bountiful than years past. The Ironborn have become more strained for food than in recent memory. With the death of King Aerys and the ascension of his untested son Aegon, Theon once again seeks to push his boundaries, sending his bastard to reave the Shield Islands of the Reach. Category:Characters Category:Iron Islands Category:House Greyjoy